Doc Mattioli officially retires from leadership role at Pocono Raceway

Saying that it was time for him to get “the hell out of here,” Dr. Joseph Mattioli on Friday resigned from all leadership positions at Pocono Raceway, the track he opened 40 years ago in Long Pond, Monroe County.

Mattioli, sitting in a wheelchair with his wife Dr. Rose Mattioli by his side, made the surprise announcement as Pocono welcomed another weekend of NASCAR racing.

The Camping World Truck Series will hold the Good Sam RV Emergency Services 125 on Saturday at Pocono followed by the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 on Sunday.

Mattioli said he will relinquish all authority to his three grandchildren.

His grandson Brandon Igdalsky is already in his fourth year as track president and will now serve as chief executive officer.

Brandon’s younger brother Nicholas will become chief operating officer and executive vice president. Their sister, Ashley, was named secretary/treasurer.

“I came up here about 50 years ago and bought a lot of land and of course what you see here now is Pocono Raceway,” Mattioli said. “The last 50 years went by damn fast. And today, it’s sort of special to us. My wife and I just felt it was time. So, as of today, I am resigning all of my positions here at Pocono Raceway. We’re going to take it a little easy.”

The 86-year-old Mattioli said he has had “a helluva good time,” but thought it was time to get out while “the getting was good.”

”Brandon is well-trained and knows this track like, as they say, the proverbial back of his hand,” Mattioli said. “He’s well prepared for all the things that have to be done.”

Mattioli choked back tears at several points during the announcement.

Pocono Raceway is one of the few family-owned tracks left in the country. Most of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races are held at tracks owned by the mammoth Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation.

Mattioli said his decision just “evolved and evolved” in recent years and he realized that his grandchildren were capable of taking over.

“They’re all super kids,” he said. “It’s quite a compliment to them that we’re turning over something that has been in the family for a very long time.”

Mattioli has sparred with the media over the years and was never shy about expressing his opinion.

“I want to thank you all for the nice things you’ve said and even the bad things you’ve said and we’ve had a lot of both,” Mattioli said. “We’ve had a nice time working here.”

The first race was the Schaefer 500 on July 3, 1971, an IndyCar race won by Mark Donahue.

The first NASCAR race was won by the legendary Richard Petty in 1974.

IndyCar racing left the track after 1989, but NASCAR has hosted two races at Pocono every year since 1983.

Mattioli said his Pocono palace is in stark contast to his sparse beginnings.

“Rose and I both came from poor families," he said. "We started here with 48 dollars. The last time this place was valued it was $600 million, so I think we’ve made quite a jump. People kept coming after us and wanted to buy it and buy it for many years, but we always felt it was something special and so we put it in a trust so that no one could sell it. We wanted to leave it to our grandchildren. They are more than capable of taking over.”